1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of coin detection by electronic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
The object of detecting and identifying coinage is well known and has numerous applications, e.g. in parking meters, subway turnstiles, and vending machines. Coin detectors known to the inventor use mechanical sensors which attempt to detect proffered coinage and to determine if that coinage is legitimate. Mechanical linkages may be employed to transmit the data from mechanical detection and identification of coinage to the coin-accepting device.
While mechanical sensors appear to achieve their purpose, i.e. to detect and identify coinage, they can be subject to a number of drawbacks. First, mechanical sensors may be subject to wear and tear, e.g. they may break down or suffer lack of sensitivity when subjected to physical stresses such as heat, cold, or physical attacks on the devices which carry them. Second, mechanical sensors are inflexible, i.e. it is generally not easy to reprogram them to account for new coinage or new charge rates. Third, mechanical sensors are far more expensive to build and repair than electrical sensors.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved method for detecting and identifying coinage, and a device which implements that improved method.